Daily Archives: June 21, 2020

CHICAGO, June 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As millions of consumers continue to request and receive various payment accommodations, TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) today officially launched its CreditVision Acute Relief Suite to assist lenders and insurers in supporting consumers while still managing risk within their portfolio.

The CreditVision Acute Relief Suite features a set of 88 attributes that identify accounts and relationships receiving special accommodations for consumers currently in relief status. The attributes allow lenders and insurers to better understand how consumers and their accounts have been affected broken out by different credit products, the timing of when they were reported in these statuses and the balances of those accounts.

Tens of millions of consumers have been impacted by COVID-19 and TransUnions CreditVision Acute Relief Suite offers additional insight to create a more complete financial picture, said Curt Miller, executive vice president of credit risk solutions at TransUnion. The pandemic is complex, and as each lender-to-consumer arrangement may be different, there is no single, simple indicator of who is affected and who is not. By bringing better clarity, the suite helps ensure each person is reliably and safely represented in the marketplace, allowing businesses to transact with confidence and help support their customers. As the pandemic evolves, we will stay close to our customers and consumers, and continue to enhance and evolve our solution.

The suite also includes the CreditVision Acute Relief Risk Score, which uses trended usage and payment data as strong leading indicators of risk. The score can be coupled with other risk scores to help lenders and insurers protect their customers and portfolios while improving new account underwriting strategies. The CreditVision Acute Relief Suite is available across TransUnions traditional platforms as well as Prama DataHub, the only in-market, self-service data extraction analytic tool with archives back to 2000.

Number of accounts in relief programs continues to grow

Data from the CreditVision Acute Relief Suite point to the ever-changing number of consumers in either a forbearance, deferred payment or a natural disaster situation. As of May 31, the number of accounts in such programs totaled 106 million, nearly three times higher than the 35 million accounts observed on April 30. Accounts in such status included auto loans, credit cards, home equity lines of credit, mortgages, personal loans, retail credit cards and student loans, among other credit products.

Recent TransUnion consumer research found that three in four (74%) consumers who have a financial accommodation are extremely or very confident that they understand the terms. However, financially impacted consumers who have received an accommodation are more concerned about paying bills/loans (90%) vs. those who have not had an accommodation (60%). These individuals also are closer to being unable to pay bills/loans (4.9 weeks vs. 6.4 weeks for those without an accommodation).

Information about the CreditVision Acute Relief Suite can be found here and businesses interested in learning how to navigate the impacts of COVID-19 can gain insights from TransUnion webinars, blogs and more here. Additional resources for consumers looking to protect their credit during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found attransunion.com/covid-19.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

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TransUnion Launches CreditVision Acute Relief Suite to Help Lenders and Insurers Identify and Support the 106 Million Accounts in Relief Programs -...

SPRINGFIELD A $500,000 donation made by the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. to the Urban League of Springfield will be used to support the Black community through scholarships and upgrades to Camp Atwater.

Henry M. Thomas III, president of the Urban League of Springfield, said the funding is an investment in the community.

The donation came unsolicited, it was not a request, he said. They contacted us and said they wanted to invest in organizations that are uplifting the community and improving equity and reducing racial tensions.

Thomas said he hopes the donation will serve as an example of how corporations and nonprofit organizations can collaborate.

(MassMutual has) always had a great sense of corporate social responsibility and we admire that, he said. If more companies weigh in and ask the simple questions What can I do to help improve the circumstance of chronic inequities that negatively impact livelihood? MassMutual is demonstrating what can be done. In return we get a stronger and more vibrant community because you have corporations and nonprofits working together to make it happen.

Roger Crandall, chairman, president and CEO of MassMutual, said the company selected the Urban League of Springfield for its investments in education and economic development in the Black community.

At MassMutual, we are deeply committed to supporting efforts that establish greater equality, fight injustice, and dismantle systemic racism and an important part of that is supporting the organizations that have been doing this critical work for a long time, he said in a statement. We hope our contribution makes a meaningful impact toward these ongoing efforts, and we encourage others in the business community to follow suit and support ways to bring sustainable, lasting change that will build a better world for all.

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Urban League of Springfield opens its new Digital Learning Lab

Springfield City Councilor Tracye Whitfield said she hopes to see some of the funding focused on higher education and economic development.

I hope it goes towards helping young Black youth get into college, whether its a four-year institution or one of the great community colleges in the region, she said. I hope it can go to economic empowerment and development to promote Black-owned businesses. We have a lot of sole proprietors, but we need corporations to employ folks and help the community reestablish itself.

Thomas said some money will be put toward scholarships for Black youth.

We already provide about $40,000 a year in scholarships to students going onto college, but now we will be able to put more towards that goal, he said.

Whitfield would also like to see improvements to Camp Atwater, an overnight camp for Black youth run by the Urban League in North Brookfield.

Thomas said the camp, which is in its 99th year, will have to hold virtual sessions this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. But he hopes the camp will be up and running with improvements next summer for its centennial celebration.

This investment will help us restore this historic institution. It is the oldest African-American owned and operated summer youth residential camp in the country. Its on the national register of historic places with over 80 acres, he said. This donation will help us leverage partnerships with other benevolent members of the community to help us with some of the capital improvements that we desire to do.

Thomas said he hopes investments like the one made by MassMutual will help promote adequate access to health and wellness services, wealth building and a level playing field for all.

Springfield health and human services commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris said the Black community in Springfield is disproportionately represented in every health status index including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

One is obesity. Particularly around our children, we are seeing across the city and the commonwealth that children are gaining weight and becoming obese at disproportionate numbers, she said.

Caulton-Harris said the solutions include prevention and intervention.

Prevention is to make sure individuals are exercising and taking advantage of the ability to get outside, she said. The other thing is making sure Black individuals are going to their primary care physicians to get the appropriate diagnosis.

Thomas said Camp Atwater provides many opportunities for children to participate in outdoor activities, from fishing and canoeing to hiking and other daily exercise activities. The camp also focuses on promoting personal development.

There are great opportunities to work on the physical and the personal. We want the kids to leave with a sense of who they are and to know their story, he said.

Thomas said MassMutuals donation is a representation of its investment in the empowerment of the Black community.

I believe in E to the third power, which stands for equity plus excellence equals empowerment, he said. Equity is not a guarantee that you will get the prize, its a guarantee that you will get an equitable chance to get the prize, whether its competing for a job or for another opportunity. Without equity and excellence, you dont get empowerment.

He said a lack of empowerment is what leads a lack of engagement and participation in community events.

When you dont have empowerment you dont take calculated risks to improve your condition, he said. You dont show up for meetings at school for your children or at the school committee meetings for the budget. You dont participate in the electoral process, which is a reason why Springfield has such a low voter turnout among registered voters, because they dont feel they have the power to make change. And that is the work we do every day at the Urban League, enable people to become empowered so that they can make a change in their lives and their communities.

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MassMutual $500,000 donation to Urban League of Springfield will help promote equality - MassLive.com

A Normanby personal trainer has not let the coronavirus outbreak stop her connecting with her clients.

Amy Simpson, owner of Amy Simpson Fitness, says she always puts the wellbeing of her clients first.

When we found out we had to close we were devastated.

Our gym is a social hub for clients, for some of the older people that could be the only interaction they get that day, says Amy.

Not willing to let Covid-19 isolate anyone, Amy invited her members to an online forum where she ran fitness classes through Facebook Live for people to join in from the safety of their homes, as well as being on hand to share fitness or food tips.

Amy says she has worked hard to build her business and was determined not to let the pandemic stop her clients from growing in confidence and reaching their goals.

I started doing my mobile personal training and fitness five years ago when I was 17, straight from college, says Amy.

But with the business quickly growing, four years ago Amy opened a gym on Normanbys high street.

As soon as I got a base, my client base grew, says Amy, and shes gone from 50 clients to between 300 - 400 members each week.

Covering a varied range of fitness classes for different abilities, Amy teaches low impact yoga, high intensity boxing with sports therapy, massage, strength classes and everything available in between.

With roughly 40 people per class, members are welcome as young as eight years old (along with a parent), with Amys eldest member still enjoying classes at 75.

But due to the coronavirus outbreak, Amys business had to quickly adapt to the Government enforced changes.

With her online classes proving popular, as soon as restrictions began to lift Amy was able to offer one to one training sessions, always adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Whether in a clients garden or at Smiths Dock Park, Amy has been there rain or shine to help clients reach their goals.

And she knows from personal experience that keeping active doesnt only improve your physical health.

When you exercise it releases endorphins, its so good for stress relief.

My favourite way to unwind is a boxercise session, added Amy.

Although her gym remains closed for now, Amy is relieved to have started one to one sessions again as it has brought some form of normality back.

My clients have been amazing, I really couldnt have done it without them, Amy added.

Using her spare time in lockdown, Amy has launched the first four items of her Amy Simpson Fitness Activewear range, which has almost sold out and received an incredible response online from her clients, who have supported her new venture and even worn some of the items so their latest classes.

The support has been unbelievable, says Amy.

And although over the past five years Amy has started her own business, opened her gym, built up her client base and launched her activewear line, she believes that the most rewarding part of her job is seeing her clients grow in confidence.

For some people, just coming into class for that first time, that step shows their confidence is growing.

"Were all for empowerment, female empowerment, male empowerment, everyone empowerment!, added Amy.

Whether clients hope to get fit, lose weight or build muscle, Amy says she will be with them every step of the way to help them reach their potential.

One of Amys clients Rachel Barrigan has noticed Amys commitment, especially during the current crisis.

She is an absolute asset to the local area, I for one am at my happiest when at ASF.

As a paramedic and frontline worker, doing the workouts and one to ones with Amy have kept me in a much better place and I for one would like to thank her for her commitment to us, says Rachel.

More information can be found here.

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Were all for empowerment: The personal trainer continuing to boost confidence amid Covid-19 - Teesside Live

South Africa has among the highest youth unemployment rates globally, with 58% of 15-24 year olds not in jobs, education or training. In times of economic crisis, young people are the first to lose jobs and the last to gain them back.

That means that now and into the future, as the economy reels from the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdown, these rates are likely to only worsen. South Africa has a very young population with about a third of the population being between the ages of 18 and 34 years.

So what should be done?

Our research shows that youth employability programmes play a crucial role in maintaining young peoples resilience and sense of agency in a context in which there are high levels of joblessness. These programmes provide young people with training and information to support their entry into the labour market, and are usually close to where young people live. Most provide a combination of technical skills training and personal empowerment inputs.

Given the social and economic consequences of this pandemic, now more than ever, it is crucial to think about how to construct meaningful youth programmes to support young peoples journeys into the economy.

Between 2013 and 2019 we tracked just under 2,000 young people who participated in youth employability programmes. The programmes and organisations that run them are Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator , loveLifes groundBreakers programme, Afrika Tikkun Services,EOH,National Youth Service (run by the National Youth Development Agency), Fit for Life Fit for Work, Thabiso Skills Institute and Raymond Ackerman Academy.

The research found that involvement in such programmes had a number of positive outcomes for young people.

First, young people showed improved job-search resilience. They were less likely to indicate being discouraged with looking for work after they had been through the programmes. And they were more likely to be using diverse strategies for searching for work, and felt more confident about looking for work.

They also showed small improvements in their sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy (their sense of control over their future) after participating in the programmes. These are important markers of success in the context of significant difficulties that young people face, and may be important in the transition to employment in the longer term.

Often these changes are overlooked because of the focus on employment and earnings as indicators of programme efficacy. But they are crucial indicators to measure as the country seeks to support young peoples agency in contexts of increasing unemployment.

Crucially, the study offers insight into what kinds of programme features work for different kinds of young people. The eight programmes that were included in the study all targeted young people who typically came from impoverished backgrounds. They also had limited access to formal post-secondary education and training opportunities. They are broadly reflective of the kinds of young people who struggle most to find work.

We found a set of crucial programme elements that boost the chances of employment for these young people.

Matching: Our research found that the programme feature with the strongest effect is matching. We show that connecting work seekers to employers (matching) was the most important programme element, and improves a candidates chance of finding work by 28 percentage points in the 6-30 months following their training.

Soft skills: the study also found that time spent on soft skills including promoting a sense of confidence and future orientation, as well as supporting young people to take control of their plans for their future delivers a significant and strong effect. The first month of soft skills training delivers a 7 percentage point increase in the probability of being employed. Soft skills training made a particularly strong impact for the most vulnerable.

Participants who had not completed school, and those who lived outside metropolitan areas, where jobs are mostly located, had a significant employment disadvantage upon entering the programmes compared to their counterparts who had finished high school and lived in urban areas. But access to soft skills training for the more disadvantaged youth helped to close that gap.

Young people in South Africa face multiple forms of deprivation. They also exhibit significant agency and resilience despite these challenges. Our research shows that placing young people at the centre of programme development, and working with them, can improve their resilience.

Further, different programme elements have different effects for young people. Including multiple components in youth employment programmes is crucial if the country is to address the multiple deprivations they face.

This study shows that multiple components of training are key, especially when targeting particularly vulnerable youth who face multiple life and labour market challenges. The more challenges young people face, the more programme features are necessary. Tailoring interventions to their different circumstances within the large unemployed population is, therefore, crucial.

While such programmes cannot replace economic growth as a strategy for improving employment outcomes, they nevertheless play a crucial role in supporting young people, and offering bridges to the world of work over time.

Link:

South Africa has taken steps to help young jobless people. Here's what's working - The Conversation Africa

On June 10th, 2020, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) conducted a webinar exploring the situation for children and youth in the COVID-19 response and recovery phase. Continuing a series of webinars on displacement and the Covid-19 pandemic, UNHCR explored the situation for children and youth and the role of sport and sports organizations in the COVID-19 response and recovery. The online consultation was entitled"Displaced children and youth and the role of sport during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The webinar featured a host of different speakers from various backgrounds. Mr. Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of International Council of Voluntary Agencies opened the meetingand shared his personal experience on the role of sport in the current crisis. He was followed by UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Mr.Raouf Mazouwho shared an overview on UNHCRs response to the COVID-19 situation stating: We have so far not seen an outbreak in refugee camps. We hope this will continue. This is a result of the work of many partners, some on this call, which have done a lot in preparing and informing refugees and persons of concern. We worked very closely with authorities to make sure that refugees are included in the response that is provided by the government.

Ms. Amanda Melville, the Senior Advisor Children and Youth at UNHCR, outlined the implications of the current crisis on displaced children and youth globally. She explained that the difficult conditions facing displaced people have been exacerbated by the pandemic. She provided examples of gaps in access to education, a significantly increased risk of, and increase in, violence and abuse of young people, and the impact of unemployment and stringent economic measures. She further shared how UNHCR has been supporting young people, discussing a few core actions in the process.

Following this scene setting, the webinar featured speakers from organisations working in different situations across the world. The presentations began with Ms. Maria Bray -the Global Advisor on Child Protection and Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) at Terre des hommes (Tdh) - who shared the challenges facing their work and how they have adapted. She spoke of the importance of a safe and supportive environment and shared the steps Tdh has taken across its projects. Referring to their project Kabaddi for Empowerment in the state of West Bengal, India, she said, we are currently working on designing a curriculum that can be done by youth themselves that would imply physical and more informal recreational activities. Remote counselling has been put in place also with some of the youth we were working with.

She was followed by Ms. Lea Hinnen,Project Manager at the Football Club Social Alliance/ Scort Foundation. Having been a footballer herself, Ms. Hinnen spoke of her organisations role in dealing with conditions presented by the pandemic. She shared how her organisation has reached out to young coaches and local partners to understand the challenges, specifically in countries where they work with refugees Mexico, Lebanon, Rwanda and Ukraine. Scort Foundation has adapted by setting up remote coaching sessions, providing live streams, and plan to set up an e-learning platform for coaches. She emphasised the need to stay engaged with local partners throughout the situation and beyond.

Following the mention of local partners, the third presentation was given by Mr. Joshua Opolot, the Executive Director of Youth Sport Uganda, an organisation based in Kampala, Uganda, working with urban refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). He shared the unique challenges faced of working in congested contexts, especially in relation to social distancing and sanitary conditions. For dealing with the pandemic, he said, we designed a sport model where mothers and fathers act as coaches and moderators. We have designed simple games that can be played within a family and these games can be done in less space and encourage social distancing. There have been messages in the games.

Ms. Jojo Ferris,Head ofOlympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) highlighted the seismic challenges that the pandemic has presented. These challenges ranged from the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to the hiatus in sports-based programming around the world. She shared the associated challenges for the ORF and its partners. Through its resources, the ORF has been able to support local partners with a flexible funding approach, including the release of an additional $500,000 to encourage existing partners to design solutions to the present situation and beyond.

The four speakers were followed by an enlightening questioning and answer session which added to the quality of the discussion. The webinar featured people from different global and local organisations, providing a holistic perspective on how displaced people have been affected by the pandemic, and the role that sport has to play in the recovery and response.

Link:

The role of sport in the COVID-19 refugee response - sportanddev.org

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Weekly Wrap: How the Finance Industry Can Commit to Change - Morningstar.com

Thousands of people know Dairy Hollow in one of its incarnations.

Back in 1980, it opened its doors as a country inn and restaurant, once described as "a kind of Algonquin Round Table of the Ozarks" by The Washington Post. Founded by writer and culinary creative Crescent Dragonwagon and her husband, Ned Shank, Dairy Hollow House introduced the idea of farm-to-table dining and "Nouveau'Zarks" cuisine to Eureka Springs and welcomed locals from throughout Northwest Arkansas to sit down alongside famous guests like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Betty Friedan, Helen Walton and Dragonwagon's parents, Maurice Zolotow and Charlotte Zolotow, both acclaimed writers.

In 1998, Dragonwagon and Shank transformed the inn into a nonprofit called the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, intended to provide "uninterrupted writing time for writers of all genres and all levels of experience," says its current executive director, Michelle Hannon.

"When writers are on deadline or having trouble with some step of their project, they come to the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow to focus without the distractions of family, work and home," Hannon says. "Many of our writers forge bonds that last a lifetime and they return together to the Writers' Colony in future years."

Now, in 2020, Charlotte Zolotow and Crescent Dragonwagon are both returning virtually to Dairy Hollow. As part of a colony-wide refurbishing, mother and daughter are being honored with the naming of one of the writers' accommodations as the Dragonwagon/Zolotow Suite. While others pay homage to national names -- Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes -- another, currently in process, will be the Zeek Taylor Suite, honoring the Eureka Springs artist and author.

"The suites were getting pretty tired," explains Hannon, who is just completing her first year at Dairy Hollow. "They were in desperate need of some updating. Peggy Kjelgaard, current WCDH Board president, had the original vision for a 'Sponsor a Suite' campaign to commemorate 20 years of hosting writers in 2020. We promoted the opportunity to the community and our alumni writers.

"Spring Garden was the first suite to be sponsored," she goes on. "Peggy Kjelgaard and Teresa DeVito, a board member, stepped up to sponsor the transformation into the Maya Angelou Suite. Next, board member Charles Templeton sponsored the Peach Blossom to Langston Hughes Suite update. Another board member, Allyn Lord, sponsored the Muse 4 to Diana Rivers refresh. A Writers' Colony alumna from Fayetteville, Linda Leavell, and her husband, Brooks Garner, sponsored Muse 3, which is now the Marianne Moore Suite.

"Muse 1 is in the process of becoming the Zeek Taylor Suite through the sponsorship of a group of supporters including Marcia Yearsley and KJ Zumwalt. And the Culinary Suite, the only one at a writers' colony in the United States, is going to become the Dragonwagon/Zolotow Suite. The sponsors have been longtime supporters of the Writers' Colony, many from the very beginning -- Crow Johnson Evans, Dida Gazoli, Donna Jackson, Mary Springer and KJ Zumwalt."

Dragonwagon could not be more pleased.

"My mother was not only a children's book writer, but an editor at HarperCollins," she explains. "Though she went inward as a writer, she went outward as an editor, nurturing 'her' writers professionally and personally.

"Publishing has changed since her era; few people go to the lengths of kindness and personal involvement that she did," Dragonwagon adds. "But colonies, and certainly the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, DO nurture talent. In a different way, but genuinely.

"Charlotte was surprised but delighted when we transitioned the property from an inn to a 501(c)3c writers' colony," Dragonwagon remembers. "She gave quite a bit of money to it during the startup in 1998-2000. Too, back in the days when Dairy Hollow was an inn, she stayed with us once or twice a year, and the suite that is being named after the two of us was the one in which she most often resided.

"That this same suite became the culinary suite -- because I, a co-founder, happened to be a cookbook writer, and was well aware that at the time no colony in the world offered a facility dedicated to and equipped for the use of culinary writers -- is happy coincidence."

Taylor says he couldn't have been more surprised.

"This past New Year's Day, I was invited to have coffee with KJ Zumwalt and Marcia Yearsley. When they told me they were sponsoring a Zeek Taylor Suite at the Writers' Colony, I could not hold back tears. I was overwhelmed by the honor. Every day I keep asking, 'How did I end up in such great company?'"

The Zeek Taylor Suite is a first for Teresa Pelliccio DeVito, the artist and designer charged with its renovation.

"The Zeek Taylor Suite is the fifth of eight suites that have been refreshed thus far," she says. "This is the first suite on which I've had the pleasure of working directly with the author. Because of covid-19, Zeek and I spent a weekend at our computers shopping and brainstorming. It turns out we have similar tastes, and it was a breeze and an absolute joy to work with him.

"In past projects, I have worked with the suite sponsor," she goes on. "Some have a very clear idea about design, style, etc., and others give me free rein. I really enjoy reading up on the authors and trying to capture their spirit, culture and what may have inspired them."

"Teresa said I could have as much say as I wanted in choosing the dcor," Taylor says of his suite. "I did have paint samples with me on the first day, and we started planning the suite around some of my favorite colors. And no surprise to anyone that knows me, one of the colors was purple! The suite will also have personal touches from me that will include my framed art and a chest of drawers that I painted that depicts some of my better known art images. There are other items with a personal touch that will be in the suite such as a pillow that has an image from one of my paintings on it.

"I am primarily a fine art painter, and one who tries to create not only beauty in my work, but a sense of fun and wonder," Taylor adds. "I hope that the Zeek Taylor Suite will envelope the occupant with that feeling, and perhaps he or she will be inspired by my creativity. I think creativity is contagious."

"As her literary executor, and in reading her books aloud lately [on Facebook Live], I rediscover her gifts to the world daily, perhaps going deeper than I could when she was alive and our mother-daughter relationship was paramount," says Dragonwagon of Zolotow. "Now I meet her more as a colleague. I am deeply pleased to know that others, too, will meet 'this quiet lady' -- to quote one of her own book titles."

"It will be writers who document this pandemic for future generations," says Hannon. "By providing uninterrupted residency time and fostering a nurturing environment that allows writers to focus on their work, the Writers' Colony is making a lasting contribution to the literary arts. We provide community and support for writers as they make the long journey from the glimmer of an idea to proudly published work."

Taylor also hand-painted a chest of drawers for the Zeek Taylor Suite, including not only his chimps but some of his other favorite images.(Courtesy Photo)

Taylor also hand-painted a chest of drawers for the Zeek Taylor Suite, including not only his chimps but some of his other favorite images.(Courtesy Photo)

Eureka Springs artist Zeek Taylor displays one of his signature chimps printed on a pillow that will be part of the Zeek Taylor Suite at the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow.(Courtesy Photo)

handout photo for 11/10/98Crescent Dragonwagon and Ned Shank invite you to visit the dairy hollow house before January while its still an inn. In 2000 it will become a writers' colony

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JEREMY SCOTTNed Shank (middle) of Eureka Springs, the Executive Director of the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, inc. talks with Dr. Pat Carr (left) of Elkins and his wife Crescent Dragonwagon (right) as they go over applications to join their writers colony Wednesday afternoon at Common Grounds in Fayetteville. 01/05/00

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/LORI McELROYCrescent Dragonwagon and Sandy Wright inside the new kitchen at the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs.7-30-02

On The CoverDesigner Teresa Pelliccio DeVito hangs a print of artwork by Eureka Springs artist Zeek Taylor in the suite named in his honor at the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow.(Courtesy Photo)

I wanted the suite to feel feminine with a touch of Southern Arkansas, and elements of inspiration, empowerment, peace and comfort, says designer Teresa Pelliccio DeVito of the Maya Angelou Suite.(Courtesy Photo)

When I initially toured the suites, the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous, serene setting, says Teresa Pelliccio DeVito, who co-sponsored the Maya Angelou Suite.(Courtesy Photo)

I dont even remember when I first read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but I was young and identified so much with her story and her trials, says designer Teresa Pelliccio DeVito of Maya Angelou. Maya found her voice and her power through her creativity, another parallel for me.(Courtesy Photo)

The Diana Rivers Suite was sponsored by Allyn Lord, director of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale. (Courtesy Photo)

The Diana Rivers Suite is intended to honor Rivers not only for her writing, but for her activism, her promotion of womens communities, her art and her status as matriarch, says sponsor Allyn Lord.(Courtesy Photo)

The Diana Rivers Suite is intended to honor Rivers not only for her writing, but for her activism, her promotion of womens communities, her art and her status as matriarch, says sponsor Allyn Lord.(Courtesy Photo)

Teresa Pelliccio DeVito, a member of the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow Board and an artist herself, has taken on the task of redesigning the suites for resident writers. Here, she places a pillow in the Zeek Taylor Suite.(Courtesy Photo)

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Cozy Spaces, Creative Minds: Writers' Colony honors the local and the legendary - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

By Janine Moodley Jun 19, 2020

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The campaign was about patriotism and a call for South Africans to work together to build a new and improved country.

Shriya Misra, 24, a post-graduate chemistry student, decided to teach and train unemployed youth to become leaders in health care and wellness in their communities.

She was exposed to health-care systems while working as a research assistant during her studies, and she focused on teaching communities about communicable and non-communicable diseases.

There was a need for advocacy and awareness around communicable and non-communicable diseases. Prevention is always better than cure, and education is the key to prevention, said Misra.

Communicable diseases are illnesses or viruses that can be spread from one person to another and can cause a number of people to get sick. These can include the current novel coronavirus, Ebola, flu, tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis A and B.

Non-communicable diseases are chronic illnesses that are not passed from person to person, like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.

Misra and her brother Shivesh, who both have their second dan black belts in karate, started a youth empowerment company in April 2018 called The Health Ninja.

Shivesh works at Alexander Forbes and is doing a postgraduate law degree in certified financial planning and a Masters degree in management accounting.

He also runs the Divine Life Forum, a separate NPO.

Misra said the aim of The Health Ninja was to visit previously disadvantaged communities and train the youth to become health ninjas and ambassadors for the cause.

The health ninjas can use their training to teach others about communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Its envisaged that the youth of today will become role models for children and adults, and teach them to become active participants in health care rather than recipients of health care.

The Health Ninja has since trained one lay counsellor and four volunteers in TB, HIV and patient care. Misra said lay counsellors offered volunteer counselling, and they should have matriculated and be over 18.

They educate and provide emotional support, and are mostly active in fields such as trauma, psychological first aid, gender-based violence and HIV/Aids.

She said The Health Ninja and the Divine Life Forum also held outreach programmes and advocacy events in schools and community halls, in areas such as Welbedacht, uMlazi, Sydenham and Phoenix.

The focus was on TB prevention, treatment and cure, the importance of community support, teenage pregnancy, HIV/Aids, mental illnesses, the coronavirus and infection control. They hand out educational packs, food and sanitary hampers, as well as a book Misra wrote To be Not TB.

The siblings have also assisted in building screening areas and a flu clinic at King Dinuzulu Hospital, following the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

King Dinuzulu is the centralised drug-resistant TB hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

In preparation for the surge of infections anticipated as South Africa lifts the lockdown, the minister of health recommended the establishment of flu clinics and screening areas as close to the hospital gates as possible. This was to reduce the risk of symptomatic patients entering and infecting the critical workforce.

Together with the Divine Life Forum, the Divine Life Society and other sponsors, we built the flu clinic and screening area in the hospital car park within 10 days. Every patient that reports to the hospital now joins a screening queue and is screened for symptoms of Covid-19 prior to entry.

Those screened positive will be referred to the flu clinic for further screening by a nurse and a doctor, in special testing booths.

The flu clinic and screening facility include donning and doffing areas, wash-hand basins with elbow taps, hand sanitisers and solar lights. The health-care workers are provided with personal protective equipment and desk screens, to maximise infection control.

Misra said they had received requests from other hospitals to replicate the initiative.

She is currently doing her Masters in organic chemistry: drug development.

Her research topic is the synthesis, characterisation and bio-evaluation of possible lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.

My interest lies in lead compounds that have been said to possess potential biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-TB and HIV inhibition.

To inspire others during Youth Month, Misra advised young South Africans to have a vision and work towards achieving it.

Its important to set small goals and celebrate as you achieve them. This gives you the motivation to carry on and achieve what your heart desires. Along the way, your dreams may change, but thats okay because we live in an ever-growing world and our lives and desires will change accordingly. Just look at the bigger picture and stay focused.

For information on their work in the community, call 0844506520/ 0845058571 or email [emailprotected] or [emailprotected]

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These 'health ninjas' are committed to building a better country - IOL

Fact: You've probs been living a distorted version of reality for months now, and that can be a bit draining on your mental health. It can also be hard to know what parts of your daily routine are still working for you these days andCaptain Obvious alertthats incredibly stressful in itself.

Well, theres a new moon in the Cancer happening on June 20, 2020, and it's here to torpedo those stress levels as much as possible. Itll help refresh your mindset on just about everything, and make you feel more sure about where youre headed in life, according to Donna Page, a certified astrologer in Atlanta.

But, ya know, theres more to it than that. Heres what your zodiac sign can expect from the new moon in Cancer.

First, a little astronomy lesson: The moon has different phases, and a new moon happens when Earth lines up with the sun. That makes the moon look all but invisible to humans. There are 12 new moons a year, and each one is usually tied to a different astrological sign.

This particular new moon is a sensitive one (because Cancers), Page says. Youll mull over your place in the world and how connected you are to everything thats going on out there. Are you working to help create positive change, or can you contribute more?

At the same time, youll have some solid thoughts on what itll take for you to feel safe and secure, both at your place and in your own skin. Feel like youre not ~exactly~ there yet? Its go-time to figure it all out, whether you want to move to a new spot or work on a lil self-empowerment.

One way to empower yourself? Flex those creative muscles by taking up the quarantine-friendly hobby perfect for your zodiac sign:

Its not all about deep thinking, though. This new moon will also make you appreciate the little things in life, like being surrounded by people that give you the warm-fuzzieseven if that's via Zoomor sitting down and having a nice meal at home while catching up with your S.O. All these little moments will help chip away at that constant stress you've been sitting with since what feels like forever (a.k.a. March).

The new moon will impact all signs, but Page says Cancer, Capricorn, and Gemini will feel it the most.

You wont just take a beat to think about what you can do to make the world a better placeyoull actually start to do something about it. Maybe youll start volunteering in your spare time or read more books that can educate you about important social justice issues.

The new moon will also help shine a spotlight on areas in your life where youre not a secure as youd like to be, and youll actually take steps to change all that. That could mean doing stuff like taking online career courses to help solidify your role as a crucial team member, or finding a new place in a neighborhood that better suits your current lifestyle.

Appreciating what you already get out of your friendships will give you a little boost to fuel those connections even more. Youll try harder to step things up in your relationships, whether its sending regular check-in texts to your buddies or making a consistent habit of stocking up on your partners favorite ice cream, just to show you care.

The next new moon is on July 20, also in the sign of Cancer. Its definitely rare to have two new moons in the same sign in a year, but it can happen, Page says. During this time, youll try your best to learn to forgive and forgeteasier said than done, of course.

Until then, take some time to invest a little in your personal growth. Youre worth it.

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June's New Moon in Cancer Is Here To Help You Become A Better Version Of Yourself - Women's Health

Amanda Nguyen was angry. Her opening remarks to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee were blunt: On the day that I was raped, I never could have imagined that a greater injustice awaited me than the one I had already been forced to endure. Assaulted as a college student, Nguyen was shocked to learn how difficult her journey to justice would be, thanks to an inadequate criminal justice system a scenario faced also by millions of Americans. Crucial medical evidence was routinely destroyed. Case backlogs prevented the crimes from being investigated. Without basic rights afforded to sexual assault survivors, including access to their own rape kits containing physical evidence of the crime, the possibility of justice was minimal.

In 2014, after launching a nonprofit advocacy organization called Rise, Nguyen set out to change federal and state law in order to expand legal rights for sexual assault survivors herself and others: I started it because I needed civil rights and nobody else was going to write them, so I decided to write them myself. Powered by data, motivation, personal stories, and supportive legislative allies, Rise was methodical. Success though daunting considering the bureaucratic intricacies of legislative advocacy seemed hopeful. But in 2016, Nguyen and her Rise team aftercollaborating with members of Congress to craft federal legislation, the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights Act were stalled. Although momentum had been building for the bill, and despite bi-partisan congressional sponsors, it was an election year a historically difficult time to get things done within the complicated, gridlocked engine of Congress.

Enter comedy. After meeting with Brad Jenkins, former White House official turned director of the D.C. office of Funny or Die, Nguyen decided comedy was worth a try alongside the Rise teams other organizing tactics. The result of their first creative collaboration, a short-form YouTube comedy sketch video produced by Funny or Die, titled Even Supervillains Think Our Sexual Assault Laws Are Insane, illustrates the stakes: Sitting around a gloomily-lit room, five cartoonishly ridiculous and terrible supervillains, while fiendishly plotting to defeat heroic Captain Brave with a litany of evil tactics, reflect on the idea that requiring sexual assault victims to pay for their own rape kits is shockingly too far its just too evil and outrageous for them to even consider as an option in their menu of nefarious machinations.

The timing, comedy content, and accompanying call to action were all strategic. According to Jenkins: When we did the Senate bill drop, we did it with the Funny or Die video, and it got a ton of attention. First time in the history of Congress Politics and power really do come down to, how do I get this persons attention? The attention-grabbing video-based campaign humorously skewered and explained the absurdity of the structural challenges facing sexual assault survivors navigating the criminal justice system. With a call to action directed from the Funny or Die video, the accompanying online petition on Change.org garnered thousands of signatures, which the Rise team then delivered to Congress to demonstrate public demand.

On October 7, 2016, President Barack Obama signed the Survivors Bill of Rights Act of 2016. The new law, unanimously supported by Republicans and Democrats, codifies a basic set of comprehensive civil rights for at least 25 million rape survivors across the country. Funny or Die and Nguyen continued their creative comedy collaboration as Rise moved next into a state-by-state legislative advocacy effort. To date, at least nine state versions of survivor bill of right laws have passed, modelled after the federal legislation. In Brad Jenkins estimation, the comedy elements of the Rise advocacy campaign were vital to the victories, in large part due to the creative collaboration with Nguyen as a social justice leader who wholeheartedly embraced the genre:

When I tell people we have done this [comedy] for sexual assault the least funny issue, and the most harrowing and personal issue that you can think of they are amazed. Amanda is the perfect partner because she thinks comedy is all about empowerment. Sexual assault isnt funny, but what is funny and what we make fun of is the status quo Thats where the humour comes in.

In 2018, Amanda Nguyen the 26-year-old accidental activist and emergent social justice leader was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her successful civil rights advocacy, which has effectively transformed decades of ineffective policy to empower millions of sexual assault survivors to pursue justice. Armed with a sophisticated understanding of the interplay between participatory civic practice, public engagement, and policy and the dynamic role of culture and creativity she has migrated her efforts onto the world stage, working with the United Nations to pass a global survivors bill of rights. In her unflinching use of short-form, shareable YouTube comedy videos as an anchor for civic practice alongside traditional advocacy tactics, Nguyen epitomizes a contemporary generation of social justice advocates that seeks to change the world through any media necessary. For Nguyen, comedy is and continues to be a vital cultural tool in her global activism:

We were able to do this with humour in particular: Basically, its like taking the medicine with a little sweetener, or taking your vodka with a chaser. This issue is depressing. Its difficult. It is my personal belief that social movements cannot be sustained on anger. Anger will burn out. Rather, they need to be sustained on hope. Humour was a way toentertain people while also hiding a really important message in it, and on top of that, being able to get people to learn about the issue. There is lot of activism fatigue that is happening in todays world. Every issue needs to be worked on. How do you get people to actually care, and get people outside of the low-hanging fruit [those] who already care? Yes, youre trying to activate them too, but youre also trying to get people who may not be predisposed to care about this to care about it.

The synergistic, creative engagement between Amanda Nguyens sexual assault policy advocacy initiative and the cultural prowess and cache of Funny or Die illustrates the power and promise of cross-sector collaboration between two disparate professional worlds: social justice advocacy and comedy. In this example, comedy aimed a glaring spotlight onto the outrage of the existing institutional status quo. In so doing, the humorous, critical treatment of a tough issue garnered attention, and its digital dissemination and call to action provided a crucial public engagement mechanism a way for newly enlightened publics to engage in civic practice, pressuring lawmakers to make a change.

A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice by Caty Borum Chattoo & Lauren Feldman is published by University of California Press

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Features | Tome On The Range | Why Did The Activist Cross The Road: What Happens When Comedy Gets Serious - The Quietus